1. Field
An automated system of processing biological specimens.
2. Background
In various settings, examination of biological specimens is required for diagnostic purposes. Generally speaking, pathologists and other diagnosticians collect and study samples from patients, and utilize microscopic examination, and other devices to assess the samples at cellular levels. Numerous steps typically are involved in pathology and other diagnostic process, including the collection of biological samples such as blood and tissue, processing the samples, preparation of microscope slides, staining, examination, re-testing or re-staining, collecting additional samples, re-examination of the samples, and ultimately the offering of diagnostic findings. Numerous medical or veterinary personnel may be involved in the diagnostic processes, including surgeons, phlebotomists or other operating personnel collecting samples, pathologist, histologists and other personnel processing, transporting and examining the samples and so on. The complexity of the tissue handling procedures from the operating room to the laboratory and back to the diagnosticians or surgeons have become increasingly complex in large medical environments where high volumes of samples need to be handled, processed and examined on a daily basis.
Various steps of the tissue handling procedures have been automated using instruments each of which typically are controlled by a dedicated computer or an on-board computerized controller. In some laboratories, information can be shared between automated instruments and/or a networked laboratory or hospital information system, such as to store patient or tracking data. One example of an automated instrument is an automated tissue processing system in which biological samples are fixed and infiltrated with paraffin in an automated fashion. Exemplary tissue processing systems are the TISSUE-TEK® VIP® and the TISSUE-TEK® XPRESS® processing systems available from Sakura Finetek U.S.A., Inc. of Torrance, Calif.
Another example of automation is an automated microscope slide stainer and coverslipper, which stains microscope slides and applies coverslips to the slides in an automated fashion. Examples of such automated staining and coverslipping systems are TISSUE-TEK® PRISMA® and TISSUE-TEK® FILM® combo system and TISSUE-TEK® PRISMA® and TISSUE-TEK® Glas™ g2 combo system available from Sakura Finetek U.S.A., Inc. of Torrance, Calif.
Despite the assistance of automated instruments, pathologists, other diagnosticians and laboratory personnel typically must be involved in numerous steps during the processing and examination of biological samples. For example, once a sample has been stained, the stained sample on a microscope slide may be physically examined under a microscope. This typically involves transport of the microscope slide to a diagnostician who is located outside the laboratory, or in other cases may involve a diagnostician going to the laboratory to examine the microscope slide. Alternatively, the stained sample on a microscope slide is imaged with a digital camera and the image of the sample is uploaded for examination by a diagnostician.
Following this initial examination step, the diagnostician evaluates whether additional testing is required. Such additional testing might involve collecting further samples from a patient, or further testing of samples already collected. For example, the diagnostician may require that the existing sample be sectioned further and a different staining regimen or other protocol be applied. This can result in iterations of one or more of collection, grossing, processing, infiltration, embedding, sectioning, coverslipping, staining, examination etc. In addition, different coverslipped slides may require different drying times. Accordingly, some slides may be ready for examination while others are not. All of this can result in time delays, as well as tissue impairment. Following the iterations of additional tests and procedures, the pathologist repeats the examination process, and may then request still further tests in an iterative fashion until an ultimate finding is reached. Even with automated instruments in these processes, there are numerous transport, and human interventions required.